Tim Koenig poked his head in David Lynde’s office Monday afternoon, wearing a big grin. “We got the Fitzgerald Natatorium job!”

David beamed. “That’s a 2.6 million dollar project!”

“I know,” Tim replied. “I quoted it, remember?”

“Well, now that we’ve got it, how are we going to manage it?” David asked.

“That’s your department, not mine. I do know that we seriously need to do something to track shipments. We have a $10,000 a day fine for every day this thing runs over schedule. This job can put us on the map, but it can ruin us if we’re not careful.”

“I’ll get to work on it,” David said.

The next day, Tim dropped in again. “You know David, I think we should just hire a full-time guy to coordinate this stuff. What it could cost us in fines would more than pay for him.”

“What do we do with him once the job is finished?” David asked. “Let him go?”

“I’d hope we could keep him, but if not we’ll just lay him off,” replied Tim.

“I don’t feel comfortable doing that,” David said. “But I’ve got an idea, let’s talk about this again tomorrow.” David reached for his phone.

On Wednesday, Tim was back. “Well, David, what’s your solution?”

“I’m outsourcing this to our answering service,” David said.

“You’re kidding! This isn’t just taking messages. We need someone who can coordinate shipments from our dealers, distributors, and subcontractors.”

“You’re right, and I’m not kidding.” David’s face showed just how serious he was. “The project schedule is already in a database. They just need to log shipment confirmations, contact companies who don’t respond, and let me know of any potential delays.”

“I don’t like it, David.” Tim shook his head. “We should just hire someone and be done with it.”

“Don’t worry” David replied. “This is an affordable way for us to get excellent help immediately. Trust me.”

A month later, construction was well underway. Tim dropped by David’s office. “How’s the Fitzgerald project going?”

“We’re on time and on budget,” David replied.

“That’s what I wanted to hear!”

“I told you to trust me.” David smiled.

 

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